The Secret to No-Crack Cheesecakes

Heather Bertinetti is the talented young pastry chef working her way through some of Manhattan’s most acclaimed restaurants. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America with a degree in baking and pastry arts, Heather joined Gramercy Tavern and, just two years later, Per Se. She then went on to open and receive rave reviews at Alto, Convivio, Marea, and Osteria Morini. Heather has been lauded by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and was named in Zagat's 2011 "30 under 30: New York's Hottest Up-and-Comers."

Cheesecakes are delicious no matter what they look like, but if you want to bake one like a pro, use these tips to ensure the top doesn’t crack as it bakes.

First, always make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. If the mixture is cold, then the cake will crack when it hits the hot oven. Always bake the cake in a water bath, which will create gentle, even heat for cooking the custard-based batter, and then allow the cake to cool completely in the water bath in a turned-off oven.